I wrote this soon after 9/11. It was a scarey time, not only for the threat from the outside, but also the way an adminstitraiotn took advantage of pubic fear in order to promote a misguided, useless and tragic war, as well as justifying a curtailing of citizens' freedom. Unfortunaely, the song is still relevant.



STAY AWAKE

Look what's happening on street.
There's fear on the faces of everyone you meet;
ever since terror came to down--
people fell through the sky,
fiery towers tumble down.
Then the men in high places took advantage of our fears
and they sold us a war that will damage us for year.

 Stay awake ; look what's going on.
Stay awake America, before our  freedom's gone.

They sold us lies on the  t.v.
They said victory would be easy.
"There's no sacrifice demanded;
the poor can fight them single-handed".
They said, "The price of liberty is to take away your freedom".
They are counting on our silence;
they say protest it is treason.


Stay awake, because we still have a choice
to raise our voice.

They said it could never happen here
but it's already happening:
people silenced by their fear and the rest of them are napping.
It's so easy to lose heart, to feel hopeless and defeated,
but it's time we raise our voice;
very one of them is needed.

Even Rome came to a fall.
Read the signs of the time,
this is our call:
to stay awake.




                      Phillip Bennett,  lyrics and music copyrighted 2013